Michael San Francisco, Ph.D., Dean

Although Honors courses are taught by award-winning faculty in departments and colleges throughout the university, the following faculty have appointments exclusively with the Honors College or have joint appointments that include the Honors College.

About the College

The Honors College provides highly motivated and academically talented students opportunities to maximize their potential and develop skills for global citizenship. The Honors College combines the personal attention and instruction of a small liberal arts college with the diversity of course offerings, extra-curricular activities, and intellectual opportunities of a major research university. Honors courses are small, student-centered, and discussion-oriented. Honors seminar classes are interdisciplinary and often examine connections among related areas of study. Honors courses provide a learning experience that complements and expands on any academic major or career path. The goal is for students to see relationships among different areas of study, develop analytical thinking abilities, obtain research experience, learn a foreign language, gain international exposure, and obtain communication skills that will allow them to become informed and independent thinkers and successful practitioners in whatever career path they choose.

With the exception of students who enroll in the honors arts and letters major, students accepted into the Honors College are also enrolled concurrently in the college that houses their major area of study. Enrollment in the Honors College provides a number of benefits for students, including early registration, housing in an Honors residence hall and learning community (on a first-come, first-served basis), extended library privileges, opportunities to expand their intellectual awareness (e.g., a weekly current events forum and a book club), travel abroad scholarships, and opportunities to do research. The college also schedules a variety of special events such as speakers, recreational activities, and cultural performances. The Honors College is able to award scholarships for high achieving students as well as those qualifying on a needs basis.

Honors students are encouraged to engage in the greatest possible range of educational experiences during their time at the university, including (1) the Honors Undergraduate Research program, which enables and compensates students to take part in undergraduate research with faculty in many disciplines and prepares them for more advanced work at the graduate level; (2) international study, which enhances marketability and fosters personal growth and acquisition of cultural knowledge and language skills; and (3) personalized academic advisement.

Honors students who complete at least 24 hours of honors credit (including one upper-level honors seminar and one capstone summit experience course in the student’s final year) graduate “with Honors from the Honors College,” a distinction that is noted on transcripts and diplomas and receives special recognition in the graduation program. Those who also complete six additional hours of senior thesis work graduate “with Highest Honors from the Honors College.”

Degree Program

The college offers programs leading to the following degrees:

Bachelor of Arts in Honors Arts and Letters

Academic Program

The Honors College encourages interdisciplinary work and presents a range of courses and programs that offer such opportunities. At the heart of the Honors College experience is a series of departmental classes taught by some of the university’s most talented professors. These courses include those fulfilling both core curriculum and specific major or minor requirements. They are generally limited to 20 students and are faster paced, more interactive, more writing intensive, and more personalized than their regular-section counterparts. The Honors program also offers a variety of seminars on special topics that explore specific subject areas in depth and with an interdisciplinary focus.

Applying for Admission

Students must make special application to be considered for admission to the Honors College either as an entering freshman or as a continuing Texas Tech or transfer student. In general, threshold application requirements for incoming freshmen are a composite SAT score (reading and math only) of 1250 or above, a composite ACT score of 28 or better, and/or graduation in the top 15 percent of the high school class. However, the Honors College applies a portfolio approach to student admission by considering in the admission process such factors as application and entrance exam essays; student activities; and special skills, abilities, or experiences. Therefore, students whose SAT, ACT, or class standing do not meet the threshold requirement may still gain admission, just as students who surpass those requirements may not be admitted.

For continuing Texas Tech or transfer students, eligibility to apply is based on a college GPA of 3.6 or better. It is recommended that transfer students apply to the Honors College after completing a semester at Texas Tech to allow for an evaluation of the student’s capabilites. The college also will consider admitting students who do not meet the above criteria but offer a compelling reason why they should be part of the program. Admission is competitive and contingent upon the pool of applicants for any given year. Admission deadlines and information are posted online at www.honors.ttu.edu.

To remain in good standing in the Honors College, a student must maintain a minimum 3.25 unadjusted “pure” GPA while at Texas Tech and demonstrate adequate progress toward completion of the Honors degree requirements. For more details, see the Honors Student Handbook.

TTUHSC School of Medicine Early Acceptance Program

The joint Texas Tech University–Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Early Acceptance Program offers an exciting opportunity to select Honors College students by allowing them to waive the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and apply early (typically the junior year) to the School of Medicine (SOM) at TTUHSC. Successful applicants to the Early Admission Program are notified of their acceptance to the medical school in late January and must complete their baccalaureate degree prior to admission to the SOM.

The primary goal of this special program is to encourage Honors students to broaden their educational experiences before they enroll in their professional studies. The waiver of the MCAT allows students to include coursework or other experiences in areas such as languages, the humanities, mathematics, and business, thus enabling them to become more well-rounded professionals.

General Requirements for Application. Early acceptance is available to Honors students within any major, so long as the requirements for entry to the School of Medicine are met and the students are judged to be exceptional candidates by the SOM Admissions Committee in the circumstances under which they apply. Students who are eligible to apply must meet the following criteria:

Enroll officially in the Honors College.

Enter Texas Tech as freshmen (students classified as transfer students upon entering Texas Tech are ineligible).

Be legal residents of the state of Texas.

Have earned a composite score of at least 1300 on the SAT (verbal and math portions only) or at least 29 on the ACT upon matriculation at Texas Tech (the composite score must be earned in one test administration).

Submit a “checklist” form to the Honors College during their semester of application to the SOM.

Undergraduate to Pharmacy School Initiative (UPSI)

By meeting the special requirements and deadlines of this joint program between Texas Tech University (TTU) and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy (TTUHSC SOP), a select group of entering freshmen is guaranteed admission to TTUHSC SOP without the Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT) requirement.

The primary qualifications for admission are as follows:

Must be a Texas resident

High school senior classification

Minimum SAT of 1300 or an ACT of 29

Preference will be given to students in the top 10% of high school class

Minimum high school GPA of 3.7 in a college preparatory curriculum

Students must apply and be admitted to TTU and the Honors College as entering freshmen before the application process for UPSI starts. UPSI students are required to spend four years as undergraduates at TTU and demonstrate significant evidence of health-related activities in a pharmacy, hospital or clinical setting before entering the School of Pharmacy.

Students accepted into the UPSI program are required to complete the Honors College requirements as well. Completion of the required coursework, activities, and events in the Honors College are a condition of matriculation to TTUHSC SOP. The main steps to applying to the program are as follows:

Step 1: Applications to Texas Tech University and the Honors CollegeStep 2: School of Pharmacy application (in September of the second year in the Honors College)Step 3: Interview at the School of PharmacyStep 4: Notification of the outcome

Acceptance offers are made in the fall semester of the second year, and students are required to accept or decline the offer within two weeks. Alternates are selected and notified at the same time. Students accepted to UPSI cannot apply to other pharmacy schools.

Undergraduate Requirements at Texas Tech. UPSI students are welcome to pursue a major of their choice. However, the following prerequisite courses must be completed by everyone in the program:

General Chemistry (for majors), with lab 8 SCH*

Organic Chemistry, with lab 8 SCH*

General Physics (trig or calculus based), with lab 4 SCH*

General Biology (for majors), with lab 8 SCH*

Microbiology, with lab 4 SCH*

Human-based sciences 3 SCH*

Calculus 3 SCH*

Statistics 3 SCH*

Speech (public speaking) 3 SCH*

Economics, macro (preferred) or micro 3 SCH*

English Comp I 3 SCH†

English Comp II 3 SCH†

English Literature 3 SCH†

Humanities/Social Sciences 15 SCH minimum†

Maintaining UPSI Qualifications. To maintain UPSI qualifications students must do the following:

Take all coursework and prerequisites at Texas Tech University and complete all the Honors College requirements

Maintain a 3.7 overall GPA and a 3.6 pre-pharmacy GPA.

Students wishing to earn credits from universities other than TTU must make an appeal to the Dean of the Honors College.

Matriculation will occur four years from acceptance into the UPSI program and is dependent on completion of an undergraduate degree and maintenance of program requirements.

UPSI students must be in good standing in the Honors College, meet all requirements of the Program Guidelines, and show evidence of continued health care related and non-related activities.

NOTE: Criminal background checks will be completed on all students matriculating to TTUHSC School of Pharmacy.

Honors College/School of Law Early Acceptance Program

Early Decision Plan. The Honors College and the Texas Tech University School of Law cooperate in an Early Decision Plan that allows exceptional Law School applicants who are Honors College students in good standing to receive notification of their acceptance during their third year at Texas Tech. Enrollment in the School of Law does not occur until after the student receives a baccalaureate degree.

To be eligible to apply for Early Decision, applicants must meet the following criteria:

An undergraduate GPA of at least 3.5.

An LSAT score that places them in the top half nationwide.

An SAT score of at least 1300 (verbal and math only) or an ACT of at least 29.

Enrollment in the Honors College, making satisfactory progress toward a baccalaureate degree with a diploma designation in Honors Studies.

Students must apply during the fall semester of their third year and must take the LSAT by December of that year. Students who receive and accept an Early Decision offer must commit to enroll at the Texas Tech School of Law and may not apply to other law schools. The School of Law Admissions Committee applies the same standards and procedures for Early Decision applicants and applicants reviewed under the traditional admission process.

* These courses will be used to calculate the pre-pharmacy grade point average (PPGPA)
† Students who have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited U.S. college or university prior to enrolling in the School of Pharmacy will be exempt from these courses.